The Houston Symphony’s upcoming events during the month of November include: Itzhak Perlman, Nov. 4,
7:30 p.m. Fall in love all over again as you experience Itzhak Perlman
’s brilliant virtuosity in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto; Kenny Rogers, Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m. Hear this American icon as he performs songs
including
Lady, The Gambler and We’ve Got Tonight; Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Nov.6-8, 7:30 p.m.; Mary Wilson, recently portrayed
in the Oscar-winning film Dreamgirls, brings her sultry, smoky voice to the
Houston Symphony stage; Rachmaninoff
’s First Symphony, Nov. 13-15. Rachmaninoff’s quicksilver First Symphony explodes with tenderness, fire and passion fitting the 23-year-old composer;
Mahler
’s Das Lied von der Erde, Nov. 19, Nov. 21-22. Be both thrilled and touched by these songs of youth,
wine, death and beauty.

All concerts take place at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana
Street. For tickets and information, call 713-224-7575 or visit
www.houstonsymphony.org.

Itzhak Perlman

BEGINNING NOV 28

Downtown’s Second Annual Holiday Spectacular

Downtown Houston will deck the halls this holiday season with the second annual
Downtown Holiday Spectacular, a seasonal celebration filled with family
traditions and community events.

From the Heritage Society’s Annual Candlelight Tour and Nutcracker ballet, to ice skating at Discovery Green and holiday trolleys, traditions both
old and new are perfectly packaged to draw Houstonians and visitors to downtown
throughout the season.

Kicking off Thanksgiving weekend, Downtown’s Holiday Spectacular will last through New Year’s Eve. Main Street Square, downtown’s pedestrian plaza and retail core, will be illuminated with peppermint sticks,
snowflakes and 25-foot holiday trees twinkling with jeweled red, green and
white LED lights. Discovery Green will be transformed into a winter wonderland
with an outdoor ice skating rink on Kinder Lake.
Festive décor will shine throughout the park, and the Andy Mann TV Tree will entertain
park goers along with a variety of family-friendly programming.

Ice skating at Discovery Green is just one of the many activities families can
enjoy during downtown
’s Holiday Spectacular.

THROUGH NOV 29

35th Annual Texas Renaissance Festival

The Texas Renaissance Festival, the nation’s largest, most acclaimed Renaissance theme park, announces the opening of its
35th season of adventure, merriment, music and romance. The festival is open to
the public every Saturday and Sunday through Nov. 29 (and Friday, Nov. 27).
Each weekend features its own theme, with special entertainment, contests and
events to enhance the patron
’s experience.

Upcoming themed weekends include Roman Bacchanal, Highland Fling, Barbarian
Invasion and ending with the three-day Celtic Christmas celebration. Set in an
authentic re-creation of a 16th century English village, the enchanted 53-acre
park offers something for everyone. Costumed performers inspire continuous
laughter on stages located throughout the festival with hundreds of daily
performances.

Over 340 shoppes, overflowing with unique arts and crafts or offering delicious
foods and beverages, line shaded cobblestone walkways. Games of skill and
human-powered rides amuse the young and young at heart. Lush landscaped grounds
covered with beautiful gardens and vines remind all who visit of the joys of
nature.

Tickets are available at outlets throughout Texas and southwest Louisiana: H-E-B
stores, Woodforest National Banks, Randall
’s stores, and Market Basket stores. Tickets are also available online at www.texrenfest.com and by calling 800-458-3435.

The Texas Renaissance Festival is located on FM 1774 between Magnolia and
Plantersville, 45 minutes northwest of Houston. For more information, call
1-800-458-3435 or visit
www.texrenfest.com.

BEGINNING NOV 12

houston ballet nutcracker market

The Houston Ballet 2009 Nutcracker Market will be held on Nov. 12-15 at Reliant
Center. More than 315 vendors from across the country participate in this 29th
annual holiday shopping extravaganza offering unique gift items for the entire
family, including home d
écor, gourmet food, garden, clothing, toys, candles, sporting gifts, novelties,
accessories and more.

Hours on Thursday and Friday are 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 10
a.m.-6 p.m. A one-day pass is $11 or $10 at Houston-area Randalls. Half-price
admission is available daily three hours prior to closing. Children under 6 are
free. A four-day pass is $35.

The Houston Junior Woman’s Club will hold its 26th Annual Holiday Happening on Nov. 2 at 10 a.m. at the
Omni Houston Hotel. Barbara Bush will be this year
’s honoree. The event will feature a runway show with styles by Elizabeth
Anthony-Esther Wolf as well as live and silent auctions, big board, gift
baskets and door prizes.

The Celebrations Christmas Market will be held on Nov. 6-7 on the West campus of
Second Baptist Church located between Fry and Greenhouse Roads. Celebrations
attracts more than 100 vendors from all over the state of Texas who are selling
hand-crafted pieces, Christmas collectibles, extraordinary jewelry, scrumptious
gourmet treats, unique home accents, inspired treasures, fashions, specialty
toys and one-of-a-kind gifts.

In addition, returning to Celebrations this year is the seasonal plant sale
sponsored by The Brookwood Community. Katy Christian Ministries will sponsor
photos with Santa in front of a giant candy house, and children
’s silhouettes will be captured with the help of The Pregnancy Help Center. For
more information, go to
www.second.org.

Adopt a Family for Christmas project

Vision of Rose Outreach Ministries, a nonprofit organization, is soliciting
donations for its second annual Adopt a Family for Christmas for low Income to
no income families. Most of the children are CPS, MHMRA, and families that
receive assistance from the government, and refugees. All donations are tax
deductible.

For more information, contact Apostle Mellanie Scales at 832-896-6368.

Orange show gala, nov. 7

Houston’s art crowd will indulge their inner devil and celebrate the angel within to
raise money for the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art on Nov. 7 from 7
p.m.-midnight at Adickes SculpturWorx Studio, 2500 Summer Street.

Sculptor David Adickes’ warehouse studio will be transformed into an otherworldly atmosphere of
darkness and light, exploring the temptation between good and bad that resides
within each of us.

The gala features a cocktail reception, seated dinner and silent auction with
one-of-a-kind works of art. Throughout the evening, performance artists will
surprise and amaze guests with devilish delights and heavenly visions, creating
an interactive tableau of agony and ecstasy.

Individual gala tickets begin at $500, with reserved tables of 12 starting at
$5,000 and up. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Orange
Show Center for Visionary Art at 713-926-6368.

Give thanks for what you have, and share joyful moments with your family and
friends during the Children
’s Museum of Houston’s invigorating Thanksgiving celebration on Nov. 27. Energize your holiday spirit
with exhilarating activities including a Thanksgiving Day Float Making and
Parade from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Create a dazzling float and strut it down through
Kid
’s Hall during the Thanksgiving Parade at 1 p.m. Meet and greet Santa from 1
p.m.-6 p.m. Say hello to the man in red and tell him whether or not you
’ve been a great kid this year. Don’t forget to bring a camera.

Seasons of Sharing, a holiday exhibit will run Nov. 14-Jan. 10. Learn about
seven holidays from around the world. With more than 90 languages spoken
throughout the Houston area, this city
’s cultural diversity has found a home within this exhibit. A different cultural
holiday will be spotlighted each week in which kids will learn about the
culture through hands-on activities and games including Ramadan WonderWeek,
Nov. 12-18; and Christmas in Norway WonderWeek, Nov. 26-Dec. 2. The museum will
also feature several spotlight performances during this holiday exhibit.

The museum is located at 1500 Binz in Houston. For more information and a
complete listing of events, go to
www.cmhouston.org or call 713-522-1138.

moody gardens festival of lights, beginning nov. 14

Moody Gardens has announced the dates for the eighth annual Festival of Lights.
The event is the area
’s largest holiday celebration and features a mile-long trail with over a million
lights. The festival has become a holiday tradition for many families from both
near and far.

The grand opening will be held on Nov. 14 and will be open Thursday-Saturday
from Nov. 20-Dec. 12; and nightly from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. from Dec. 17- Jan. 2.

Admission is $5.95 and $5 for additional attractions with Festival of Lights
ticket purchase.

The 2009 LPGA Tour Championship will be held Nov. 17-22 at The Houstonian Golf & Country Club. The event will feature a field of 120 of the top LPGA
professionals in the world, a $1.5 million purse and a unique format that will
see a cut after 36 holes to the low 70 professionals and an additional cut
after 54 holes to the low 30 pros.

Tickets for the 2009 LPGA Tour Championship can be purchased online at www.lpgatourchampionship.org or by phone at 877-LPGA-TIX. The cost for daily tickets, which allow grounds
access for any one day of tournament week (Wednesday-Sunday), is $20. Daily
parking passes are also available for $5 each. Weekly grounds passes are $60
and allow access to the tournament grounds for the entire week. All weekly
ticket purchases also include one complimentary weekly parking pass.

Volunteers are also needed at the event to help in a variety of ways including
player transportation, working the main scoreboard and assisting the media with
gathering stats. The volunteer package is priced at $55. To complete an
application online, go to the Web site.

The LPGA Tour Championship will be broadcast on the Golf Channel from Nov.19-22.